One example of flow of an inspecting step of manufacturing steps of a semiconductor device performed after formation of semiconductor element circuits on a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, simply called “wafer”) is mainly shown in FIG. 26 exemplifying a package product, a bare chip and a CSP (Chip Size (Scale) package) as a typical shipment pattern of the semiconductor device.
In manufacturing steps of a semiconductor device, as shown in FIG. 26, the following three inspections are conducted roughly. The three inspections include wafer inspection which is first conducted in a wafer state where semiconductor element circuits and electrodes have been formed on a wafer in order to grasp a conductive state and an electric signal operation state of semiconductor elements, burn-in inspection which extracts an unstable semiconductor element in a high temperature state, in a high-voltage application state or the like, and sorting inspection which is performed to grasp product performance before shipping semiconductor devices.
Regarding an apparatus (semiconductor inspecting apparatus) used for such inspections of a semiconductor device, in the conventional art, a wafer is provided on a surface of the apparatus with many semiconductor devices (a semiconductor chip (hereinafter, simply called “chip”) and it is cut to individual semiconductor devices for use. Individual cut semiconductor devices are each provided with many electrodes arranged on a surface thereof. In order to manufacture many semiconductor devices industrially and to inspect electric characteristic of the semiconductor devices, a connection device configured of a probe formed of tungsten needles protruded obliquely from a probe card is used. In inspection using the connection device, a method for rubbing an electrode by contact pressure utilizing flexure of the probe to take contact with the electrode and inspecting electric characteristics of a semiconductor device is used.
In recent years, according to density growth of a semiconductor element, narrow pitch and multi-pin configuration of probe for inspection advances in an inspection step at a time of manufacturing a semiconductor device. Therefore, for a step of transmitting an electric signal between the electrode of the semiconductor element and an inspecting circuit reliably to conduct an operation inspection, it is desired to develop an inspecting apparatus of an semiconductor element using a connection device which can achieve probing to fine electrodes of a semiconductor element with a narrow pitch and multi-pin configuration with high positional accuracy and can prevent damage owing to probing to the semiconductor element through a low load.
As an inspecting method and an inspecting apparatus which allow characteristic inspection of a semiconductor element applied when density growth and narrow pitch configuration of a semiconductor element advance, which requires an operation test using a high-speed signal, there is a technique described in collection of papers and lectures of ITC (International Test Conference) of 1988, pp 601-607 (Non-Patent Document 1). FIG. 27 is a schematic view of a structure of an inspecting apparatus disclosed in the Non-Patent Document 1, and FIG. 28 is an enlarged perspective view of a main portion of the inspecting apparatus. A probe for the inspecting apparatus used here uses hemispherical bumps 205 obtained by forming wires 202 on an upper face of a flexible insulating film 201 by photolithography technique, forming a ground layer 203 on a lower face of the insulating film 201, and plating through-holes 204 of the insulating film 201 provided at positions corresponding to electrodes of a semiconductor which is an object to be inspected as contact terminals. The technique is directed to an inspecting method for rubbing bumps 205 connected to an inspecting circuit (not shown) through a wire 202 formed on a surface of the insulting film 201 and a wiring substrate 206 to bring them in contact with electrodes of a semiconductor element which is an object to be inspected by resilient force of a leaf spring 207 and performing transmission and reception of a signal.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 02-163664 (Patent Document 1) discloses an inspecting apparatus for a semiconductor element, and FIG. 29 is an illustrative view of a structure of a probe card for inspection of the inspecting apparatus. The probe card is a probe device which holds a pivot pin 208 attached with leaf springs 207 in a conical well 210 supported by a rotary plate 209 to push out an insulating film 201 formed with bumps 205 and wires.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2005-24377 (Patent Document 2) discloses an inspecting apparatus for a semiconductor device, and FIG. 30 is a schematic view showing a structure of a probe card for inspection of the inspecting apparatus. The probe card is a probe device which divides a probe sheet into four pieces and pushes out a four-sided pyramid-shaped contact terminal 212 and an insulating film 213 formed with wiring via a pushing piece 214 and cushioning material by a spring plunger 211 provided in the center of divided probe sheet pieces.